FBR jacks up property valuation rates in 20 cities

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has jacked up valuation rates of properties in over 20 cities ranging between 10 and 30 percent on average and also included certain rural areas to bring them on a par with the DC rates during the current fiscal year.

Under the World Bank (WB) loan of $400 million titled ‘Pakistan Raises Revenues (PRR)’, the revision of valuation tables of properties in one condition is attached with it. The revised valuation rates will help collect more taxes from immovable property. However, the FBR’s notified rates are still lower than the existing fair market value.

Now the FBR has started revising upward the valuation tables of properties in different cities silently during the current fiscal year 2022-23. During the tenure of PTI regime, certain suburbs of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) were excluded from the domain of the FBR and the then deputy commissioner ICT decreased the valuation of properties massively for providing alleged benefits to certain political elites. Now the FBR has reversed it and included certain parts of ICT in the revised valuation rates.

The FBR has now revised upward valuation rates of immovable properties for cities including Rawalpindi, Dera Ismail Khan, and Attock in its latest issued SRO. Earlier, the Board had revised upward valuation rates of properties in Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Bahawalnagar, Chakwal, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Haripur, Jhelum, Bahawalpur ,  Khushab, Lasbella, Gwadar, Lodhran, Mandi Bahauddin, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sargodha, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Sahiwal and Islamabad.

When Member FBR Inland Revenue (Policy) Afaq Ahmed Qureshi, who is also official spokesman, was contacted, he said they had revised the valuation rates of properties in 40 cities and decided to bring them on a par with the valuation rates notified by respective DC in their areas.

He said the FBR had brought all those areas under the valuation tables where the DC had notified the rates. The Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) issued by the FBR on September 13, 2022, stated that in the exercise of powers conferred by sub-section (4) of section 68 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 (XLIX of 2001) and in supersession of its Notification No. S.R.O. 361(I)/2022, dated the 2nd day of March 2022, the Federal Board of Revenue is pleased to determine the fair market value of immovable properties in respect of areas or categories of the Rawalpindi district.

The FBR included Tehsil Taxila localities located in Wah Cantt, Lala Zar, New City phases, Kohistan Enclave, Aslam Market as well as Housing Societies near the New Islamabad Airport such as Mumtaz City, Top City, EIGHTEEN, areas of Adyala Road, Chakri Road, Gujjar Khan, Murree, New Murree, Kotli Sattian, and Kallar Sadian.

For Dera Ismail Khan, the FBR notified valuation tables including Bannu Road, Circle Road, Inside Circle Road, Saddar Bazar, Chashma Road, Diyal Road, Tank Road, Multan Road, Draban Road, etc.

For Attock city, the FBR issued detailed valuation tables of 139 pages and included many parts of the city in line with the notified rates. In Gwadar, the FBR notified revised rates on August 1, 2022 and issued 24 pages detailed rates of valuation of immoveable property in different parts of the city.